What Happened to Academy Awards (The Oscars)?

The Academy Awards, Hollywood's most prestigious film honors, have faced a complex landscape in recent years, marked by evolving viewership habits, calls for greater diversity, and the emergence of new technologies like AI. Once a television juggernaut, the Oscars have seen a general decline in linear TV viewership since their peak in the late 1990s, when they often attracted over 50 million viewers. The 96th Academy Awards in March 2024, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, saw a modest increase to 19.5 million viewers, attributed partly to the popularity of nominated films like "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer". This was followed by the 97th ceremony in March 2025, hosted by Conan O'Brien, which initially reported lower numbers but ultimately reached 19.69 million viewers when streaming data from Hulu was included, marking a five-year high in total viewers and a six-year high with younger demographics.

However, this upward trend proved to be a temporary bump. The 98th Academy Awards, held on March 15, 2026, and again hosted by Conan O'Brien, experienced a 9% decline in viewership, drawing approximately 17.86-17.9 million viewers across ABC and Hulu. This marked the lowest viewership since 2022, despite expectations that popular nominated films like "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" (which won Best Picture) would boost ratings. Analysts point to broader societal and technological trends, including the fragmentation of media consumption and a perceived disconnect between critically acclaimed films and mainstream audience preferences, as primary drivers for the viewership challenges.

In response to long-standing criticisms regarding a lack of diversity, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) implemented new representation and inclusion standards for Best Picture eligibility. These standards, announced in September 2020, fully took effect for the 96th Oscars in 2024, requiring films to meet at least two out of four criteria related to on-screen representation, creative leadership and project team, industry access and opportunities, and audience development. While intended to foster more equitable representation, these rules have also drawn criticism from some within the industry who argue they could limit artistic freedom.

Further significant rule changes were announced in May 2026 for the upcoming 99th Academy Awards (2027). These include explicit exclusions for AI-generated actors and screenplays, requiring roles to be "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" and scripts to be "human-authored". Additionally, the eligibility for Best International Feature Film was expanded, allowing films that win top awards at major international festivals (like Cannes or Venice) to qualify, independent of their country's official submission. Another notable change permits actors to receive multiple nominations in the same acting category in a single year.

A monumental shift in the Academy Awards' distribution model is also on the horizon. In a move reflecting the ongoing migration of audiences to digital platforms, the Academy announced that the Oscars broadcast will transition from its long-standing home on ABC to Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube streaming platform starting in 2029. This decision underscores the Academy's strategy to reach a global, digitally native audience and adapt to the evolving media landscape, as its current contract with ABC runs through 2028. The Academy continues to seek ways to maintain its relevance and prestige in a rapidly changing entertainment world, balancing tradition with necessary innovation.